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Who began construction of the Panama Canal, and why did they quit?
The Panama Canal was officially opened 104 years ago today, six years after the first ship passed through it.
A crowd of onlookers watches as the seagoing tug the Gatun makes the first trial run through the Gatún Locks, on September 26, 1913. Photo Credit: Roscoe G. Searle/ National Geographic
The Panama Canal was first proposed by Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa in the early 16th century as a waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. However, it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that the dream began to manifest.
In the 1880s, the project was led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French engineer best known for successfully building the Suez Canal. De Lesseps saw another victory that would transform global trade.
The challenges and setbacks
Despite the big ambition, the French canal-building project was faced with obstacles from the start. The tropical environment of Panama created serious health hazards. Malaria and yellow fever ravaged the workforce, resulting in enormous losses of life. The engineering challenges were also severe. The rough terrain and high rainfall caused regular landslides and flooding, making building very risky and inefficient.
The inevitable halt
Financial mismanagement and corruption made the project even more difficult. Costs escalated far above initial expectations, and the French business declared bankruptcy in 1889. By this point, over 22,000 people had perished as a result of diseases and accidents, and only one-third of the intended work had been finished. The project was abandoned, leaving a catastrophic failure and a stark reminder of the challenges of such an ambitious undertaking.
The American revival
It wasn’t until the early twentieth century that the United States, led by President Theodore Roosevelt, took up the project. The Americans made important adjustments in strategy and technology, resulting in the canal’s effective completion in 1914.
The Panama Canal was officially opened 104 years ago today, six years after the first ship passed through it.
The story of the Panama Canal exemplifies human perseverance and the complexity of large-scale engineering endeavours. The French’s early failure demonstrates the need to tackle environmental, financial, and technical problems in ambitious endeavours.
